M-Theory
by Odile1001
Summary: Several years after DH and the war is not won. Bellatrix is still alive, and although Voldemort was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, she has become the leader of the Death Eaters, continuing his cause. Hermione makes a decision to stop her, but can Minerva help? This will be an eventual Hermione/Minerva story. Rated M, not for innocent minds, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_a/n: I've had this idea brewing for some time now, and decided to finally write it. This is set after Deathly Hallows and does not follow on from the canon. Bellatrix is still alive, and although Voldemort has fallen, she has become the leader of the Death Eaters, continuing his cause. This will be a Hermione/Minerva with a bit of Hermione/Bellatrix. Rated M, not for innocent minds. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Minerva McGonagall sipped her peppermint tea, gazing out onto the black lake of Hogwarts. The dark blue sky was littered with stars, and their glittering reflections were scattered across the lake as if it were a mirror. The clock was striking one in the morning, and after hours of sorting through the Hogwarts budget, Minerva was finally getting ready for bed. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the dark outline of a figure make its way slowly up the long path to the doors of Hogwarts. Who on earth could be out at this time, she thought to herself, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as her instincts told her something was horribly wrong. She set her tea down on her desk and swiftly made her way out of the Headmistress's office down to the main entrance.

She waited hesitantly by a staircase for the person to emerge behind the doors, holding her wand at the ready. Although it had been seven years since Voldemort had been defeated, the majority of Death Eaters were still in hiding and the number of muggle killings were beginning to rise again. Someone had taken up Voldemort's mantle, and Minerva suspected that Bellatrix Lestrange had become the new dark leader, doubting that the formidable witch had fallen from Molly Weasley's curse.

No one entered the building, and Minerva waited, her heart hammering in her chest. If they had made it into the grounds it would be easy for a student or teacher to simply open the doors and let themselves in. An intruder would have triggered the wards, and the doors would be an almost impenetrable obstacle for them. Someone was definitely waiting outside the doors and something was horribly wrong.

Minerva quietly stepped down towards the doors, her wand grasped tightly between her long fingers, ready to send curses flying towards the intruder. She considered alerting Filius in order to gain an extra wand, but gritted her teeth, knowing that she would be able to handle one person alone without too much fuss. At least she hoped so; it _had_ been a while, and she was sorely missing a duelling partner that could keep up with her, since Albus had died years ago. She cursed herself for not practising for so long, but knew that muscle memory and reflexes would instinctively kick in if it came to a duel. After all, she'd had years to hone her skills. She placed her hand gently on the door, opening it slowly.

Minerva stepped outside into the darkness, scanning the steps for intruders and her breath caught as she saw a motionless heap of a person, collapsed at the bottom of the steps. There was no one else there, and she quickly made her way down the steps to the heap, wand still out. The person was covered in a long black cloak that hid their face, and as Minerva knelt beside them, she saw that the cloak was covered in spatters of dark blood.

Hesitantly she pulled the hood away from the face, and her breath caught as she saw the familiar mass of curly brown hair that belonged to Professor Granger. Without thought, Minerva cast a diagnostic charm, assessing the damage. Open wounds along the leg, a broken rib, fractures along several vertebrae, and a nasty cut along her right cheek. She was unconscious, but breathing.

There was no time, Minerva quickly levitated Hermione into the castle, not wanting to move her for fear of worsening her condition. She ran towards the Hospital Wing, breath catching at the sight of Hermione's bruised face.

"Poppy!" she cried out upon entering, and the healer quickly sprang into action. Minerva saw Hermione's eyes flutter as Poppy quickly cut though her clothes, revealing dark purple-green bruises the size of bludgers down her side.

"Minerva, you need to wait outside, I can heal her but she may need to go to St. Mungo's," Poppy said, summoning several potions and starting to administer them, whilst casting charms along Hermione's sides. Minerva started to protest, but Poppy waved her away, closing the curtain around the hospital bed. She cut through Hermione's robes again, revealing huge lacerations along the Professor's thighs. "Merlin, girl what have you been doing?" She breathed, as she began to repair the skin and heal the damage done.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

Minerva had been waiting in the Hospital Wing for two hours before Poppy came to see her. Both women looked tired and Poppy made her way over to the Headmistress with a small smile.

"Well, she'll live. It'll take a few days for her to be back to normal, but I've healed the cuts and her rib is pretty much fixed. Minerva, I think she's been put under the Cruciatus several times, the fractures in her vertebrae…"

"I know, I recognised the signs. When will she wake up?"

"Not for a few hours, I gave her a dreamless sleep potion. She'll need her classes covering for the next couple of days though. Do you think she was taken?" Poppy looked up to Minerva, worry creasing her features. Since joining the staff a year ago, Professor Granger had been widely accepted, making friends with nearly every member of the team. She was a fantastic transfiguration teacher, quickly learning the balance between being firm but fair, and the students settled into the flow of her classes easily.

"I don't know, Poppy, we'll find out when she wakes. I'll cover her classes today. Let me know when she wakes up, and we'll find out exactly what's been going on. We both need some sleep."

Minerva sighed softly, placing her hand comfortingly on the shoulder of her closest friend. Blue eyes met green ones, and the healer gently dipped her head in agreement.

"Yes, you're right. Though you look like you need it more, Min." Poppy squeezed her friend's hand as Minerva raised an elegant, black eyebrow at the comment before taking one last glance at the curtained-off bed and heading back to her rooms.

Thoughts flooded through Minerva's mind as she unpinned her long, ebony hair, letting it fall softly behind her back. What had happened that had caused Hermione such intensive damage? How had she been caught? What did this mean for the future? She regarded herself in the mirror, sighing at the dark bags under her eyes. She changed into her pyjamas, appreciating the comfort of her soft cotton loungewear, and fell rather ungracefully into bed. Times were getting darker and Minerva closed her eyes, curling up and preparing herself for a long day.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

Minerva looked across the class of fourth years, all diligently copying her notes from the board. It was the final class of the day, and she had received a note from Poppy half an hour ago, letting her know that Hermione had woken up just after lunch. There was still 10 minutes left of class before Minerva could go and find out exactly what had happened to Hermione Granger last night.

The girl had grown into a formidable witch, and had taken to teaching like a duck to water. The first few months of her being on the staff had been slightly awkward as she settled into the new dynamic of being a colleague instead of a student, but since then Hermione had almost become friends with the iconic Headmistress. If not friends, then certainly friendly acquaintances. Minerva had offered Hermione an apprenticeship straight after she had graduated Hogwarts which had been gracefully declined in lieu of travelling and studying around the world. Minerva had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione had gone to a muggle university and pursued a Ph.D. in a science, but the young woman had never explicitly discussed it with her and it had only been briefly mentioned in her interview. Minerva had hoped that Hermione would eventually pursue a mastery in transfiguration, if not with her then with somebody else who was equally capable. She hadn't seen talent like Hermione's since she herself had begun teaching, and it was clear that the young woman had the potential to become one of the top masters in the discipline.

"Class dismissed," Minerva called out in her clear Scottish brogue, waving her hand to erase the blackboard. She waited until the last student had left the classroom before stepping through an alcove into the teacher's passageway to the Hospital Wing. As she strode through the door, Minerva heard Hermione's voice; she seemed to be having an argument with Poppy.

"No, please, really Poppy I'm fine, I've had enough rest and need to get back to teaching tomorrow. Minerva has enough on as it is, and I'm perfectly capable of working with a few scratches," Hermione said, as she started to get out of the bed, a slight wince passing her face as she swung her legs over the side.

"A few scratches?! Hermione, you have broken a rib that is still healing, you need bed rest! Not to mention the cut on your thigh!" Poppy shrieked, looking over as Minerva came through the door. "Minerva, talk some sense into her, please!"

Hermione started to stand up.

"Where are my robes Poppy, please?" She asked, tugging at the short hospital gown disgustedly. A bandage covered nearly her whole thigh, and there was another bandage across her face, covering the cut that Minerva had witnessed in the early hours of the morning. Hermione's hair was a tangled mess around her face and her eyes were circled with dark rings that betrayed her tiredness. The young professor put her hands on her hips and gave Poppy a look that would have made the seventh year Slytherins quake in their boots.

"Hermione, really, if you're so insistent of going back to teaching so soon after what you've been through, I must admire your determination, but I highly discourage it. And you'll have a hard time hiding that scratch across your face." Minerva sighed, watching her Professor purse her lips.

"Nothing a simple glamour can't cover up, Minerva." Hermione replied succinctly, a flash of Gryffindor determination crossing her face. Hermione swiftly reached up to her cheek, and with a sharp intake of breath ripped the bandage from the skin on her face. With a quick wave of her hand, the angry, stitched up gash that covered Hermione's cheek vanished, replaced by slightly freckled, rosy skin, and her hair seemed to relax into a less tangled, feminine wave that framed her heart-shaped face. The bags around her eyes disappeared, leaving Hermione looking fresh-faced and professional, despite the unflattering hospital gown.

"She's even worse of a patient than you are Minerva!" Poppy cried, "And I assure you Hermione, that is no easy feat!"

Minerva sighed again, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Poppy fussed around Hermione, gently feeling the skin over the young woman's cheek and huffing as Hermione swatted her hands away.

"If you insist, Hermione" Minerva said, "but we need to understand what happened to you last night. Are you alright?"

Concern laced the Headmistress's face as she saw Hermione's annoyance at Poppy's fussing disappear, to be replaced by a guarded expression, evaluating the situation. She watched the young woman's resolve strengthen as she seemed to pull herself together in preparation for a difficult conversation. Her face was almost void of emotion as she slowly sat back down on the bed, her gaze on the floor.

"Perhaps we could get some tea?" Hermione whispered, shrugging her shoulders into the long navy robes Poppy handed to her. She wrapped the robes tightly around her and sat up slightly straighter as both Minerva and Poppy sat in the armchairs beside the bed. A tray of tea and biscuits appeared on the bedside table, and Minerva wordlessly took the teapot and poured three cups, adding splashes of milk to each and two spoonful's of sugar to Poppy's.

Minerva settled her gaze on her former student, who looked directly at her as she said, "Last night I was captured by death eaters. I had gone into Hogsmeade to meet up with Harry for a drink, and they appeared out of nowhere. I tried to fight back, but they completely outnumbered me; I think there were about seven of them. Lucius Malfoy was definitely there, as were the Carrows and, I think, Bellatrix Lestrange." Hermione swallowed. "They took me away somewhere, I don't know where, I was blindfolded and I was… questioned. I don't really remember much of it, to be honest, and I don't think I want to. I don't know why they brought me back here, but they did. I'm just happy I survived really, and would like to get back stuck into teaching as soon as possible. One thing for sure though, Bellatrix Lestrange is still alive."

Hermione looked down at her tea as Minerva studied her face. Something wasn't right. Minerva had looked into Hermione's eyes, and although her words seemed genuine, her face was too emotionless, too devoid of the trauma that she had obviously undergone at the hands of the Death Eaters. There was something Hermione wasn't telling them.

"What did they question you about, Hermione?" Minerva asked gently, placing her hand on top of the younger woman's.

Hermione's gaze flicked back up to the Headmistress, and Minerva thought she could see her mind flashing through possible explanations.

"It's all a bit of a blur really, but definitely Harry and how he'd defeated Voldemort. How Voldemort had survived for so long. I didn't say anything, of course. At least… I don't think I did…" Hermione bit her lip as she trailed off, retreating into her own thoughts.

"It's ok dear, I'm sure you did a marvellous job. And at least you're here now. We're all grateful you got out alive. Why on Earth did they let you go though?" Minerva squeezed Hermione's hand, and felt the woman flinch slightly at the pressure. Minerva's mind raced through possible explanations as to why Hermione was lying, perhaps she had been tortured even more badly than they had initially thought. Perhaps a memory charm? But Hermione seemed to be focussed, it was just her words that disagreed with her almost emotionless face. Her speech sounded sincere, but her expression was disconnected.

"I don't know." Hermione said, eyes flashing with resolve and a strength crossed her face that nearly took Minerva's breath away. "I'd like to start lessons again tomorrow, I'm sorry you had to take over my class today, but I'll be happy to finish the marking for you, Minerva. I'm assuming all the papers are on my desk? Poppy thank you for doing an excellent job of taking care of me, I'll take the salve and apply it as you said. For now though, I'd really appreciate a good nights sleep in my own bed without any fuss. You don't have another dreamless sleep draught, do you Poppy?"

Hermione stood up, without wincing this time, and as Poppy started to protest, Minerva handed her a vial from the shelf by the hospital bed.

"Thank you," Hermione said softly, looking up one last time into Minerva's green eyes which were narrowed in disbelief at Hermione's story. Hermione looked down, almost ashamed of lying to her former favourite professor, and current boss, knowing that she hadn't fooled the Headmistress in the slightest. She would have to be more careful. Hermione steeled herself and strode out of the Hospital Wing without any sign of the pain she must have been feeling due to her recent injuries.

Poppy turned disbelievingly to Minerva, "She can't teach in this state, it's a miracle she can even walk!"

Minerva sighed and looked over at her friend. "Sometimes Poppy, all you want after a difficult mission is to get back into normality and I'm sure that's just what Hermione is doing. She's been through a lot."

Poppy huffed, "I know." Her shoulders sank as she looked into emerald green eyes that had returned to the door that Hermione had just left from. "That poor girl. The fractures along her spine must have been LeStrange's work, it's all too familiar."

"I know." Minerva pursed her lips, "But there's something she's not telling us Poppy. And we need to know so we can sort out this mess. If Bellatrix is growing stronger again, we have to start taking some form of action, and soon before its too late."

Poppy's eyes filled with tears, "It seems to never end, Minerva. They've all given up so much, including you and me. I just don't know how much more there is to give to this damn war."

Minerva stood up and placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, eyes crinkling into a sad smile. "I know my dear, but we can't give up. Hope always shines through, even in the darkest of times. But for the moment, I fear they will only get darker before we can live without fear again."

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 _a/n: Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you guys think!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Three days later**

Hermione stared down at the note on her desk, heart racing. It was too soon. She was already having trouble focussing on her lesson plans, and although the bruise on her side had decayed into a light purple, she was still having difficulty putting weight on her left leg. She knew she'd have to tell Minerva at some point, the Headmistress was already extremely suspicious, but first she wanted more information. She'd promised herself that this was worth it; this would not be some daredevil, masochistic endeavour for nothing.

 _Tonight. 11pm. Forbidden Forest._

Hermione sighed, setting fire to the note and grabbing the huge pile of fifth year essays to mark, hoping against hope that no one had gone over the parchment limit. She'd recently begun to feel sympathetic towards Snape, who on top of all his spy work, had meticulously, if slightly unfairly, graded her long essays when she was a student. What goes around comes around, she thought to herself, starting to cover the essays in red ink.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

She grabbed her cloak, checking herself over in the mirror one last time. The glamour sufficiently covered the still healing cut across her cheek, along with the circles around her eyes that betrayed her tiredness. Merlin, she'd only been doing this for two months, and the toll it was taking on her body was almost unmanageable. Especially after the other night, _that_ had been a very close call. Hermione cursed herself for her carelessness, not wanting to even consider the consequences if a hapless student had found her instead of Minerva.

Her black dress clung to her soft curves. It had a classic boat neck, her slight collarbones delicately showing over the top, long sleeves ensuring she was protected against the cold Scottish climate. Her hair fell in its typical mane around her shoulders, and she reached over to grab her lipstick, staining her lips a deep red.

She walked quickly in the shadows of the school, her cloak hiding her face, only the soft sound of her boots giving away her presence. As she began to get closer to the forest her heart started beating faster, and she concentrated on maintaining her occlumency shields.

She'd only been walking between the trees, beyond the wards, for a few minutes before she heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Who would have thought I'd have the pleasure of finding a Professor out of bounds at this time?"

The voice seemed to whisper around her, as if the wind was carrying the sound in all directions, before Hermione's breath caught as right next to her ear she heard the voice deepen slightly, "I'm glad you came."

Hermione turned her head slightly, inhaling the familiar, sweet scent of Bellatrix Lestrange. She let a soft smile grace her lips as she turned to the woman.

"Of course I came."

Suddenly, Bellatrix was in front of her, dark black eyes staring into brown. Bellatrix twirled her wand through her fingers, grinning as she circled Hermione like a predator stalking its prey. Hermione let her hood fall, and Bellatrix let out a long breath.

"You look delicious, my little mudblood." She whispered, letting the side of her nail scratch down Hermione's cheek. Hermione flinched as her previous wound was slightly reopened, and shivered as Bellatrix's tongue flicked out to taste the blood.

"And you taste delicious too," the older woman whispered into her ear, sending another light shiver down Hermione's spine.

"You know, I could have killed Amycus for what he did to you, little one," Bellatrix's finger traced the top of Hermione's collarbone, and her hot, sweet breath tickled Hermione's neck. How could someone so evil, smell so sweet? Her scent was like honey and spun sugar, overpowering in that it was almost sickly.

"He may come of use to us later, Bella," Hermione warned gently, bringing her hand up to the other woman's forearm, letting her fingers graze the soft skin of the witch's wrist.

"I know," Bellatrix said lightly, lips moving gently against Hermione's pulse point. Her voice darkened as she said, "which is why I only let him off with losing a hand. That little rat Pettigrew has a twin now, although I should have killed him years ago…" Bellatrix cackled, the sound ringing out through the stillness of the forest. "You should have heard him scream little one, next time _you_ will have the honour of punishing him, although you didn't leave him completely unscathed." The woman chuckled. "Men are foolish in that they often want what they obviously can't have."

Bellatrix slowly licked up Hermione's neck and possessively bit into the soft flesh. Hermione's breath caught at the thought that her teeth would surely leave a mark. Her strong body was flush against Hermione's back, an arm wrapped around the small waist, breasts pressed up against the woman. Bellatrix suddenly twisted the smaller woman round to face her. "What news do you have for me, my little spy?"

Bellatrix looked deep into Hermione's eyes and Hermione felt the woman swiftly enter her mind. Hermione pushed images of what Bellatrix wanted to see to the front of her memories.

Harry drinking in a bar, looking haggard, lost, alone. Arthur Weasley coming in from work, the strain of his new position as Minister for Magic obviously weighing heavily on his mind. Ron desperately pleading for her to love him, only for Hermione to reject him, yet again.

Bellatrix cackled once more, her eyes darkening with lust as she pushed Hermione back into a tree, the rough bark scraping against her thick woollen cloak. "As I said before, men are foolish." She whispered, and took Hermione's bottom lip into her mouth, biting down on the stained red flesh and eliciting a guttural groan from the smaller woman.

Hermione's legs wrapped around the witch as she was lifted up, pressed between the tree and Bellatrix. They were now at the same height, and Hermione wasted no time in crashing her lips to the older woman's, fingers tangling in black hair that was as unruly as her own.

Hermione felt her cloak become unclasped and the bottom of her dress be shoved up above her thighs as fingers traced the lines of an inevitable scar that had formed from Amycus Carrow's idiocy. Hermione felt slight relief in knowing that those hands would never touch her again, and gasped as Belllatrix's fingers found her centre, wasting no time before thrusting into her core.

"So wet," Bellatrix murmured into Hermione's mouth as the younger woman cried out from pleasure.

The tree bark scraped Hermione's back as Bellatrix fucked her, breaths coming out in gasps, her thigh grasped by strong fingers that would leave yet more bruises as the other hand continued curling into her.

It was over nearly as quickly as it had begun, Hermione's breaths coming out in short pants as Bellatrix gave a few final thrusts, flicking Hermione's clit as walls started tightening around the fingers. Hermione's body collapsed into Bellatrix's, toes curling and eyes squeezed shut as shame washed over her at what had just happened. Every time, the shame was almost unbearable.

Hermione's breaths started to even out, and Bellatrix removed her hand, wiping her fingers against Hermione's inner thigh and gently putting Hermione down. Hermione's knees were shaking from her orgasm, and she nearly fell over as she put weight on her bad leg, earning a light chuckle from her lover.

"Easy little one," Bellatrix whispered, running her fingers along Hermione's cheek, this time careful to avoid the scratch. Brown eyes met black ones and Hermione found her voice.

"When will I be introduced to the inner circle, Bella. It's been months, surely by now I have earned your trust. Let me help you…"

Bellatrix silenced her with a kiss, and as she pulled away her eyes hardened. "It takes years to earn my trust little one, as you well know."

"But I _want_ to help. What do you need?" Hermione let her fingers run across the pale skin stretched tight over high cheekbones, looking into the other woman's eyes, using the glow from her recent orgasm to try and convey her loyalty.

Bellatrix softly smiled, "You will find out in due course." She kissed Hermione one last time, before turning into the depths of the forest and beginning to walk away.

"Bella, wait! I need you to –"

"- I need more information, little one, you don't want to displease me." Bellatrix called out as she disappeared into the thick expanse of trees.

Hermione brushed off her cloak, cursing the older woman as she tried to straighten up her hair before her walk back to the castle. She pulled her hood up and started to move out of the trees.

How on earth was she going to get Bellatrix what she wanted without giving too much away and endangering her friends? How was she going to keep her interest? And how was she going to gain enough information to help the Order so that the formidable witch could finally be defeated, and the Death Eaters all be put behind the miserable bars of Azkaban, where they belonged? Her shoulders sank at the realisation of the huge mess she had created for herself; all problems and seemingly no answers. She needed some help; there were only so many books she could read.

She did feel fairly glad at Amycus's fate however. The man had absolutely deserved that. She shuddered, hating herself for feeling like that. Hating the way she responded, almost eagerly, to Bellatrix's touch. Soon she would be carrying out some of the punishments herself; she'd have to in order to gain more of Bellatrix's trust.

It was almost surprising how easy it had been to seduce the woman, to spin her a sob story about being unwanted, wanting to punish those who had made her childhood miserable, wanting to be accepted. Grovelling at the terrifying woman's feet and feeling long fingers lift her chin up as black eyes gazed into her own and soft lips whispered, "legilimency."

Of course, Hermione could not ask for better friends, a better family, and the job that she utterly loved, but the emotions she had drawn on to convince Bellatrix of her sincerity had certainly come from somewhere, deep inside of her. The memories she had shown Bellatrix tonight had also come from somewhere, just not as recently.

When she had last seen Harry, he was happily settled with Ginny, and beginning to teach his oldest son, James, how to ride a broom. Ron had long since moved on from her, and was beginning to see someone else, a quidditch bimbo she thought? Or was it a reporter? Arthur was indeed tired; he did have a lot more responsibility recently as Minister, but he was still his normal, jovial self around Hermione. She smiled at the thought of her friends, and knew that despite her growing closeness to Bellatrix, they would keep her grounded. This was the right decision; she would play an integral part in ensuring the demise of Bellatrix Lestrange, protecting her family and friends in the process. After all someone had to do it.

Hermione tiredly stepped up to the main entrance of Hogwarts and silently opened the doors, stepping through quickly. She turned around, and to her surprise came face to face with Minerva McGonagall.

"Professor Granger." Minerva's eyes narrowed as she took in Hermione's appearance; dishevelled hair, long black cloak half covering her face, and was that red lipstick? "What on Earth are you doing roaming the grounds at this time?" Her eyebrows rose further as she caught sight of a bite mark on Hermione's neck.

"Headmistress, I can explain, I've been meaning to talk to you." Hermione started rambling, feeling like a first year again, about to be given detention. "It's late now, but can we meet tomorrow to discuss this, although it _is_ important, I just need my bed right now."

Hermione looked up, pleading to suspicious emerald eyes.

"I'm sure you do, professor." Minerva said, looking the younger woman up and down. Her eyebrows, if possible, rose even higher as she caught sight of a twig tangled in Hermione's hair. "Tomorrow, my office, 8 o'clock in the evening. And please make yourself a little more presentable."

Minerva nodded a good night to the young professor, and swept away from her, deep green robes swirling around her as she disappeared up a flight of stairs.

Hermione sighed. Well, she'd be telling Minerva sooner rather than later, she guessed. Now to convince Minerva to help her, and not send her straight to Azkaban, or worse, fire her.

* * *

 _a/n: Hope you enjoyed!_


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n: Getting pretty excited about the outcome of this story. Don't know exactly what's going to happen yet, but so far I'm liking the way its turning out. Thank you for the kind reviews, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

HGMM

* * *

Minerva looked up from her desk as she heard the gargoyle grant access to the Headmistress's office. She put down her quill next to the mountains of papers she had been working on and tiredly tucked away a stray hair that had fallen from her trademark bun. There was a short, sharp rap on the door and Hermione Granger entered, looking, Minerva was pleased to see, much more presentable than last night.

"Take a seat, Hermione." The Headmistress said.

A small house elf appeared, smartly dressed in crisp shirt embroidered with the Hogwarts coat of arms. "Some tea would be greatly appreciated, please Flossie."

The small elf nodded and disappeared with a pop. Moments later, a tray of tea and biscuits appeared on the desk between Minerva and Hermione. There was silence as Minerva picked up a large copper teapot and shared the amber liquid between two cups. The Headmistress sat back, settling her stern emerald gaze onto the woman in front of her.

"Minerva, I am dreadfully sorry about the other night, I can explain -"

"Hermione please, if you want to go and meet your friends and acquaintances outside of working hours it is, of course, none of my business. However, it _is_ my business when you return looking like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards. What if a student had seen you?"

Hermione lowered her eyes, looking at her hands.

"I have to admit I'm surprised. It's very out of character. And after the other night, I'd have expected you to be slightly more careful." Minerva's voice softened as she regarded the young woman in front of her.

Hermione's glamour was well done, but her fatigue was evident from her slumped shoulders. Minerva pursed her lips; the woman had obviously lost weight and as Hermione raised her eyes back to Minerva's the older woman was shocked to see that they were brimming with tears. With a blink, the tears were gone.

"Is everything alright, Hermione? I know its been difficult, but the war is far from over and we need to stay strong, if not for ourselves, then for the students." The Headmistress pushed a plate of ginger newts towards Hermione. "Have a biscuit."

Hermione quietly reached for a ginger newt, and dipped it into her tea.

"You know, you _can_ talk to me." Minerva took a small sip from her teacup, and waited for the young woman to start explaining.

"I didn't get captured the other day. Well, I kind of did…" Hermione trailed off, voice faltering, not sure how to continue.

Minerva took another sip of tea, waiting for the woman to open up to her.

"I've done something terrible, Minerva." Hermione lowered her gaze, hands clasped tightly upon her lap.

"You must believe me when I say that this was my last resort. As you said, the war is far from over, despite Voldemort's death, and we need more information. Since Professor Snape died, we haven't had an inside source, and things are getting worse now and I thought… well, I thought I could handle it."

Minerva set her teacup on the saucer and took a deep breath, eyes filled with worry.

"Oh Hermione, what have you done?" She said gently, realising that things were far worse for the younger woman than she'd initially considered.

Minerva's mind was racing. The Death Eaters had let Hermione go the other night, and despite her injuries, they could have killed her. What would they have to lose from disposing of a third of the Golden Trio? Hermione's story from the other night hadn't added up, and in the first place, Minerva had doubted that the woman was going for a drink with Harry, as Hermione would never go out on a school night. And last night? She'd assumed that her youngest professor was simply being careless and had gone out to meet some unknown lover for a night of passion to forget the horrors of the war. Surely the girl hadn't tried to replace Snape as a spy for the Order; that would be utter madness…

"I've been trying to gain information for the Order, Minerva." Hermione said.

Minerva took in a deep breath; this was a lot worse than she'd initially thought.

"And how, pray tell, have you been doing that?"

Hermione's back straightened as her large brown eyes met concerned green ones, uttering words that Minerva never thought would cross the young woman's mind, let alone her lips.

"I seduced Bellatrix Lestrange."

There was complete silence as Minerva's eyebrows threatened to disappear into her hairline and she sucked in a sharp breath. She had seriously underestimated the woman in front of her. Bellatrix Lestrange. Minerva tried to reset her features; despite all her training to keep her face unreadable, she had not been _that_ taken aback in quite some time. She leant further back in her chair, trying to relax.

"Well, I suppose she's important enough to make a difference. But _Bellatrix Lestrange_ , Hermione, what were you thinking?" Minerva's eyes narrowed as she reassessed the woman in front of her. Sweet Merlin, no wonder she looked tired.

Hermione's eyes widened at Minerva's response. She swallowed and in a small voice, replied, "I only wanted to help. And I _have_ gained a lot of information. I was going to come to you, as head of the Order, but I just wanted a bit more time…"

Minerva sighed. "Well, tell me what you've got then, Hermione, because it better be worth it. This is not an easy task by any means. And I hope its clear that none of this is to leave this room. Let alone find its way back to Bellatrix herself?"

Minerva shook her head, trying to organise her thoughts. How on Earth had this little witch seduced arguably the most insane woman on the planet? Was Hermione a threat? Instinct told her no, but one could never be so sure. Minerva quickly made up her mind about how to deal with this unexpected turn of events.

"Hermione, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I want you to take some veritaserum before you start explaining yourself. This will not leave this office, but, you must understand, I need to be sure that you're telling the truth, and not working with her."

Hermione nodded, starting to feel slightly more sure of herself. If anyone could help her it would be Minerva; it was rumoured that she'd even helped Dumbledore mentor Snape. She seemed to be taking the situation in her stride, and despite her initial shocked reaction, Minerva appeared to be her usual calm and collected self, ready to solve the problem at hand. At long last, Hermione felt her information could actually come to some use, and the stress she had willingly placed herself under for the last few months had not been for nothing.

Minerva summoned her house elf and asked for the potion, before taking a small biscuit from the tray and popping it into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully as she waited for Flossie's return. It wasn't long before the potion was set before the two women.

"You don't have an antidote capsule hidden away in your mouth, do you?" Minerva asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Hermione shook her head in surprise. "No, but that is an excellent idea."

She reached across, uncorked the stopper of the vial and downed it in one shot.

Minerva gave her a small smile, "you do realise that was a double dose?"

Hermione returned the smile, feeling the effects of the potion kicking in already, the words bubbling out of her mouth.

"Yes, but you can never be too sure, and I'd rather that you are completely confident that I'm telling the truth."

"Very well. When did you start to get into contact with Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Three months ago. I initially made contact with Lucius Malfoy. I knew that Draco and his mother had moved out of Malfoy Manor since the battle, choosing to leave Lucius after they found out he was still in contact with known Death Eaters who were in hiding. I also knew that Bellatrix was still alive and that if anyone was to blame for the increase in muggle deaths, it would be her. I'd watched her die, but after some research, watching Malfoy Manor and intercepting some owls, I found that she and Lucius were in contact with each other. Lucius was extremely unhelpful on receiving my message. He didn't understand why a mudblood like me would be interested in anything to do with their cause and the Dark Arts. He dismissed me pretty much straight away after throwing a few petty insults my way."

"Well obviously," Minerva rolled her eyes.

Hermione shot Minerva an annoyed glance.

"Do you mind if have some more tea? That veritaserum was disgusting." Hermione grabbed another biscuit, not waiting for Minerva's approval, and poured herself another cup. Minerva noticed that she was shaking slightly, likely due to the overdose in potion and possibly also from the immense pressure and stress the witch was under.

"How on Earth did you get Lucius to respond to you?" Minerva asked her.

"I didn't. Bellatrix found the note I sent him, decoded it, and then came to me."

"And…?"

"Well, it was the end of July, so the summer holidays, and I had taken a weekend break away to the Lake District on my own, to do a bit more research. Bellatrix just turned up at my house. I'd warded it of course, but she got through those pretty quickly… I really should work on that actually."

"Please tell me you did not spend some romantic weekend in the Lakes with Bellatrix Lestrange?" Minerva's mouth was threatening to fall open in shock at what she was hearing.

Hermione scowled. "No, she terrifies me. She came in, threw her weight around a bit, and then performed legilimency on me. And I showed her what she wanted to see."

"What do you mean she threw her weight around? And what did you show her?"

Minerva's eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. This was almost unbelievable. However, she _was_ speaking to Hermione Granger, the brightest witch for generations, who also happened to be under the influence of a double dose of the strongest truth potion known to wizarding kind. Minerva doubted that even with her own tolerance, she would be able to lie.

"She tortured me a bit. It was mainly the cruciatus curse, but she also broke several of my fingers. Nothing I hadn't really experienced before to be honest. And I showed her memories of myself as a child. The typical story of someone who had never fitted in, even when she found 'real' friends at school. I painted myself as a traumatised misfit, who wasn't accepted in both the muggle and wizarding worlds because of my intelligence and sexuality. I pushed forward memories of being desperate to learn about where I could fit in society, and feeling utterly lost. Until I was researching the Dark Arts while I helped Harry, and finding out about the formidable Bellatrix Lestrange, the brightest witch of her own age, who was also rumoured to be attracted to women. And after she'd seen what she'd wanted to see, I kissed her. Flattery gets you everywhere it seems." Hermione smirked, then quickly schooled her face at Minerva's obvious disapproval.

"And how do you actually feel towards Bellatrix Lestrange?" Minerva didn't know if she wanted to hear the answer.

"I wouldn't say I hate her, but I definitely don't like her. I don't like being around her in the slightest. She's caused a lot of pain to me and the people I care about and she needs to be stopped. She's insane. In the most horrendous way. She's obsessed with causing misery and mayhem. She's malicious and unpredictable and utterly terrifying. She's also intelligent and extremely powerful, which makes her even more dangerous, but her mind does not work in a logical manner which makes her easier to manipulate."

Hermione paused and took a deep breath. "Easier is the wrong word I think, but with time, I'll be able to find out more from her. She's the new leader of the Death Eaters, and wants to take over the ministry. I think there's more to it than that, more personal reasons, but I'm not that close with her yet. However, she has definitely taken a strong liking to me, despite being a mudblood."

Hermione chuckled darkly.

"And why are you doing this?" Minerva asked her, emerald eyes searching Hermione's face.

"To help us win the war. I know we are struggling. We lost so many people in the battle of Hogwarts, and as this continues, more innocent people are dying. And I look at what Professor Snape did; his work lead directly to Voldemort's defeat. Bellatrix needs to be stopped, as well as all the other Death Eaters. I'm doing this for the people I love."

Minerva sat back in her chair, sighing. Hermione bit her lip and looked down at her hands again.

"Minerva, I must say, it's a relief to finally speak about this. The last few months have been… difficult."

And then, to Minerva's surprise, her former student burst into tears. Large droplets of water fell down freckled cheeks as the woman let out a shuddering breath. Minerva's heart felt as if someone was squeezing it tightly; this young woman had put herself in such a dangerous position, and whether or not Minerva thought it was foolish, Hermione had good intentions.

Minerva stood up and walked round the desk, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulders and rubbing her back as she cried. Minerva bent down so she was at eye level with the woman, and reached out to move Hermione's hands from covering her face.

"Hermione, however reckless I think you've been, it is admirable that you've kept yourself alive for so long, around one of the most dangerous witches the world has ever had the misfortune to see. But you need support, you cannot do this on your own." She said gently, long, elegant fingers wiping away the salty tears.

Hermione sniffed and tried to pull herself together. "I know."

"Take some deep breaths, there we go."

"I'm sorry, I'm being pathetic…"

Minerva quietly handed Hermione a tissue and waited for her to calm down.

"It's quite alright. I'm going to help you and we'll work through this together. No one else is to know about this, am I clear?" Minerva's voice was gentle but firm.

Hermione nodded and banished the tissue with one last sniff.

"Now, do any of the other Death Eaters know that you've been… meeting with Bellatrix?"

Hermione sighed. "They do now. That's what the other night was about. Lucius told both the Carrows and a few others that he knew that Bellatrix had been meeting with someone. I think they had followed Bella to see who the mystery person was."

Minerva's eyebrows rose again at Hermione's shortening of Bellatrix's name. She decided not to comment.

"We'd met up in one of the derelict houses in Hogsmeade and after she left, I was on my way back here when they ambushed me. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen them look so shocked." Hermione chuckled lightly, before continuing.

"Who would have thought that Bellatrix Lestrange, champion of purebloods and Voldemort's right hand woman, would be meeting up in secret with Harry Potter's best friend, a mudblood? They argued for a while over whether or not I had actually been sleeping with their leader before I lost my patience and cursed Alecto. I was a little overconfident to be honest. Lucius started the initial punishments but Amycus did not take too kindly to me cursing his sister. He was responsible for a lot of the damage you saw the other night. Anyway, Bellatrix quickly realised that her followers had discovered that I was her new lover, and Amycus is now short of a hand. I got away relatively unscathed; sleeping with the darkest witch of our age has some benefits, I guess."

Hermione smirked, looking up at Minerva's slightly shocked expression. Minerva took a moment to take in everything that Hermione had just told her.

"It is admirable that you are so light hearted about this Hermione, but I have to say, I find myself deeply worried about your mental health." Minerva looked at her professor sternly.

Hermione laughed, the sound bouncing around the office, slightly hysterical.

"Yeah well, you and me both. If I wasn't able to laugh about this entire ridiculous situation, I really would be a wreck."

Hermione's laugh faltered as she met Minerva's piercing expression. She felt herself sober slightly, and lowered her gaze.

"I don't want to lose who I am, Minerva. I'm afraid that if I am around her too much, I'll become like her." Hermione said quietly, twisting her hands in her lap.

She felt a gentle hand cover her own, and looked up to meet warm, emerald eyes.

"Hermione, you are not going to lose who you are unless you continue to do this on your own. You have done a very brave thing, and it might well win us this war." Minerva smiled softly. "I know that you are strong, and kind, and extremely intelligent. I wouldn't have you on my staff otherwise. And I know that this will end, and you'll be able to put this behind you and enjoy life surrounded by the people who love you. You will _never_ be like Bellatrix."

Minerva gave the small hand a comforting squeeze.

"We'll work through this together. It won't be easy, but we'll do it. I actually happen to have a lot of experience in these matters."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realised the implications of Minerva's statement.

"You mean, its true that you helped Severus whilst he was working with Voldemort?"

Minerva smiled, eyes sparkling with strength.

"Yes, but more importantly, I have been in a fairly similar situation to the one you are in now."

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HGMM

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 _a/n: Hope you enjoyed, would love to read your feedback :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_a/n: Here's another chapter up, hope its starting to get interesting :)_

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Hermione's eyes widened in shock, Minerva had been in a similar situation?

"You mean, you have been a spy too? When? For who?"

Minerva smiled slightly. "For the resistance during Grindlewald's war."

There was silence in the office as Hermione processed this new information. Minerva had mentored Snape, she had suspected as much, but to actually have been a spy too?

"What did you do?" Hermione asked, regarding the Headmistress with even greater respect.

"Albus was a close friend to Gellert, as you know. After Gellert killed Ariana, Albus of course realised that he could no longer sustain a relationship with him. Despite his love for Grindlewald, he of course could not forgive him for murdering his sister, however accidental, and was afraid of his own appetite for power. As Gellert's own power increased, the muggle world started to fall to pieces under Hitler's dictatorship and Albus knew that we needed an inside source. That responsibility fell to me. I was very young at the time, but ultimately I helped to weaken Gellert's influence and in turn set up the duel with Albus that led to him being incarcerated."

"But how?" Hermione asked, chocolate brown eyes wide.

"I don't wish to go into details Hermione, but I became very close to Gellert's right hand woman, Madeleine Fournier. She was much like Bellatrix in a way and helped devise many of Gellert's more destructive plans against the muggle world."

Minerva sighed, memories of long ago clouding her mind. It had been years since she had discussed this, even with Severus.

"What happened to her, I've never even heard of her?" Hermione's voice cut across Minerva's thoughts.

"I killed her."

Minerva's succinct tone of voice suggested she did not want to discuss this further.

Hermione nodded quietly, but her mind was ablaze with questions. Minerva McGonagall, the most conservative Headmistress Hogwarts had ever seen, had also been in a secret relationship with a woman. And killed her, leading to the fall of Gellert Grindlewald.

The older woman reached across the desk and took the last biscuit, before settling her gaze on her former student once more.

"Now, with respect to your current situation, I don't want you going in without a plan. What did you have in mind?"

"Right now, I am working on getting closer to Bellatrix. She knows I'm important, and I think she's beginning to trust me a bit more. She's searching for something, although Merlin knows what, I don't think even her closest followers have a clue. I can name the majority of Death Eaters who are in contact with her, she moans about them often enough. She has a source in the ministry, but I have no idea who that is yet, and highly doubt that she'll tell me any time soon. I'm hoping that she'll properly introduce me to her inner circle in the next week. Hopefully, that'll stop the ambushes."

Hermione bit her lip, knowing that her plan was not much of a plan at all. More of a wing it and hope for the best kind of thing.

"I see." Minerva looked sternly at her professor. "I'm assuming that you're proficient in occlumency, you must be to have survived this long. What about duelling and defense?"

Hermione felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks.

"Well, it's not one of my strengths."

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "And you decided to march into a situation when you knew that you'd find it hard pressed to defend yourself?"

"I always seem to get out alive." Hermione said in a small voice, hating that they both knew that she had been uncharacteristically foolish.

"Rule number one: constant vigilance." Minerva smirked and Hermione's eyes widened at Alastor Moody's trademark phrase.

"You trained Moody too, didn't you?" Hermione gasped.

Minerva laughed lightly at Hermione's shock.

"Not quite, we trained together." The older woman smiled.

"There's so much I don't know about you." Hermione said quietly, watching the older woman's smile widen slightly.

"That's the whole point to being a good spy, Hermione." Minerva said sarcastically, quirking her eyebrow.

Hermione let out an annoyed breath. "Well, I know that much at least, I'm not completely incompetent."

"I never suggested you were, dear, but you need to make sure you are able to protect yourself. Unless the circumstances are dire, you should never go into a situation without that knowledge." Minerva's expression became serious again. "I propose that we start your training from tomorrow. It will be hard work, Hermione, but I suspect you already know that."

"What do I need to do?" Hermione's eyes flashed with barely supressed excitement. Knowledge is power, and Minerva was going to enable her to gain that knowledge.

Minerva glanced at the clock above the door and was surprised to note that it was getting well onto midnight.

"How about 9pm tomorrow, room of requirement? It's getting late now and I need some rest. If you cannot make it for any reason, call Flossie and let her know."

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HGMM

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 **The next day**

It had been an easy day for Hermione with regards to her teaching duties and she had managed to catch up on the majority of her marking. She made her way up the seventh floor, once again going through the new information she had learned last night. Minerva was certainly full of surprises. Hermione felt slightly embarrassed that as a spy herself, she had never caught on to the fact that a woman she spent a fair amount of time with was also full of secrets. She'd always known that Minerva valued her privacy, but to have known so little about the woman up until now?

Hermione stood outside the room of requirement, feeling uncharacteristically nervous.

"I don't want to wait around all day, professor." Minerva's soft voice came from behind her, making the younger witch jump.

"How did you sneak up on me like that?" Hermione gasped, trying to calm herself down and letting out a deep breath.

Minerva simply smirked and led the way into the room, holding the door open for the younger witch.

Hermione looked around, the room was surprisingly empty. It had similarities to the Great Hall in its size, but was devoid of any of the tables and portraits. She glanced at Minerva, who had made her way to the centre of the room.

"I have to say, Hermione, its been a long time since I've been able to practise duelling, so I apologise if I am not a worthy opponent." Minerva spun her wand between her fingers, watching the young woman with interest.

Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all, Hermione thought to herself as she took out her own wand. She didn't want to underestimate the other woman, but her modest statement had given Hermione a slight confidence boost.

They both stepped towards each other and bowed, mentally preparing themselves for a duel.

Minerva didn't waste any time. She quickly shot a stunner at Hermione and followed with a stinging hex. Hermione dodged the stunner and deflected the hex, realising that this was going to be a lot tougher than she initially thought; the older woman was lightning fast.

Hermione sent curses flying towards her opponent, marvelling at the way Minerva easily blocked them, ducking and sending back her own spells at nearly double the speed that Hermione was casting.

Within moments, Hermione felt herself being propelled backwards, landing straight on her backside.

"Are you alright?" Minerva called over to her, flicking her wand through her fingers.

"Yes, the only thing seriously damaged is my pride. I thought you said you hadn't practiced for ages?" Hermione called back, picking herself up and noting that she was probably going to have a nice bruise tomorrow.

Minerva smirked. "I haven't. You need to be faster, Hermione, and don't ever underestimate your opponent. Watch my movements, and go from there."

Hermione stood up and warily pointed her wand at the older witch, before quickly deflecting another well aimed hex. The constant barrage of spell work started up again, forcing Hermione backwards as she tried in vain to defend herself against the onslaught.

She couldn't even see Minerva behind the network of spells the woman was sending towards her, and in even less time than before, she had been blown backwards. The younger witch hadn't even been able to send a single offensive spell towards the Headmistress.

"Concentrate, Hermione." Minerva walked over to her colleague and offered a hand to help her up. "Maybe we should start with some more basic defence…"

"No, it's fine." Hermione's lips thinned as she bought her wand up again, determination crossing her face.

Minerva sighed. "If you insist."

This time, Minerva allowed Hermione to cast the first spell, easily blocking it. Hermione quickly began to cast streams of offensive charms, trying to attack rather than defend. Minerva dodged the spells, casting a couple of jinxes before sending a powerful reducto towards the younger woman. Once again, Hermione had left her side completely open and was forcefully projected back to the other side of the room.

"Right, that's it Hermione, we are starting with the basics."

Hermione groaned in annoyance, hating that the older witch knew she was incapable of defending herself, despite the fact that Minerva hadn't duelled for years.

"I'm going to teach you muggle defence first, Hermione. Have you heard of taekwondo?"

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. What else was this woman hiding?

"Um… yes, I have. When I was little my parents took me to a few ju-jitsu classes, and I'm guessing its not that different?"

Minerva smiled. "There are similarities, but where ju-jitsu concentrates more on grappling and holds, and is a ground-fighting sport, taekwondo focusses more on kicks. Both have benefits, but personally I prefer the Korean martial arts. They are extremely effective. Now copy me, I'll teach you."

The floors of the room started to change into mats, and kick bags appeared in the corner of the room. Minerva swiftly transfigured their robes into comfortable sportswear and made her way over to one of the bags.

"How will this help my duelling exactly, Minerva?" Hermione asked, warily watching the Headmistress stretch her hamstrings in a display of flexibility which was surprising for her age. The woman was wearing an outfit similar to Hermione's, a comfortable white, long-sleeved top and black fitted leggings. They were both bare-footed. Hermione ran an appraising eye over the older woman's slender figure as Minerva placed her hands flat on the floor and then gently stretched out her calf muscles, swinging her legs smoothly, warming up.

"Understanding the way the body moves and how your opponent will react is key to winning a duel. Strength, stamina and flexibility should not be underestimated, as well as the ability to adapt to your surroundings. Focus and self-discipline are other benefits, although I suspect you've already mastered them through your occlumency skills. Also, many wizards do not suspect muggle defence tactics, and I have found that they come in handy every now and again. Now, are you watching?" She focussed her attention on the bag, and quickly brought her leg up into a powerful roundhouse kick, following through with the other leg, spinning round.

Hermione watched in awe as her former professor kicked the bag. Her hair was still in the trademark bun, although a couple of wisps had escaped after Hermione's pitiful duelling attempt.

"Are you trying to turn me into a ninja?" She asked, preparing herself for the intense physical activity. She was definitely going to be sore tomorrow.

Minerva simply smirked at her. "That's Japanese, Hermione. Go ahead." She gestured at the bag.

Hermione's kicks were very noticeably slower than the older woman's, and her legs immediately began to ache.

"You need to work on your posture, keep your core tight and that will help your balance. Try again, faster this time."

Hermione stood up a little straighter, and put all of her effort into kicking the bag, moving as fast as she possibly could.

"Again. Kick with the balls of your feet, and keep your arms closer to your body, you are leaving yourself open to attack."

Hermione kept up the onslaught on the bag, breathing heavily as her muscles protested. It was half an hour before Minerva allowed her to stop. Hermione could feel beads of sweat running down the sides of her neck and along the small of her back.

Minerva handed her a glass of water that had appeared on a table near the kick bag and she gratefully swallowed it down.

"Who taught you this stuff?" Hermione asked her, wiping the sweat from her forehead onto her sleeve.

"Madeleine. Now, we will continue working on your stamina until it is at an acceptable level, and then we will move further onto your technique. We will finish every session with a duel, before a cool down. Are you ready?"

Minerva pulled out her wand and pointed it straight at Hermione, who was bent over with her hands on her knees, taking in deep breaths, looking up at the Headmistress in abject horror.

"Are you trying to kill me?" She panted, drawing herself up and taking up her wand. She felt as if she couldn't move another step before passing out from fatigue.

"No, but the Death Eaters will be." Minerva shot a stinging jinx at Hermione, which she barely managed to deflect.

Hermione felt her body kick into action, she couldn't allow Minerva to put her on her arse within minutes another time. She started to attack, despite her screaming muscles, and moved towards Minerva, parrying curses and panting heavily.

Hermione could see that Minerva was barely moving, barely breaking a sweat countering the spells. Her wand flicked in precise movements and occasionally her body twisted to avoid a well aimed spell. Within five short minutes, Hermione felt her concentration slip, tiredness betraying her body. For the last time that night, she was sent flying backwards. Minerva again offered her a hand as she picked herself up again.

"Well done, Hermione, you've worked hard tonight. Now copy my movements and breathing and we'll cool down. If you don't, you'll be aching for days instead of hours, trust me on this."

Hermione felt as if her body would collapse from fatigue, but obediently stretched herself through the yoga-style shapes that Minerva twisted her own body into with practised ease. Hermione again found herself amazed by Minerva's flexibility and control over her body; no wonder she looked so healthy and young.

After fifteen minutes, every single muscle in the women's bodies were stretched, leaving them feeling relaxed and ready for bed.

"Same time tomorrow?" Minerva asked, transfiguring their clothes back into teaching robes, and tucking a few stray hairs back into her bun.

"Yeah, I'll finish my rounds and come straight here."

"Excellent. Hermione, it'll get easier, I promise." Minerva smiled warmly at the young professor, who looked like she was ready to pass out.

"See you tomorrow, Minerva."

Hermione trudged back to her rooms. She had not felt this worn out in a long time, even after her months gallivanting across the country with Harry, fighting Death Eaters. As she reached her bed, she smiled at the small tub of bruise salve that had been left on her bedside table. She didn't even bother to shower, quickly stripping off before falling into the warm duvet. Tomorrow, she would be very, very sore.

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HGMM

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 _a/n: I know this is kind of a stretch for the imagination, but I absolutely love the idea of Minerva being a badass martial arts master! I am no expert at all, only do a little bit of kickboxing when I have time, so forgive me if I haven't described the martial arts properly. Hope you all enjoyed, looking forward to reading any feedback!_


	5. Chapter 5

_a/n: Thank you all for your lovely reviews and ideas, enjoy!_

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It was Sunday night, and Hermione was on her way to the seventh floor for her training with Minerva. They had been training together for the past week and Hermione was slowly noticing a difference in her strength. After about four days her body had stopped aching so much under the intensive exercise although it still only took a few minutes for Minerva to beat her in the post-workout duel. As Hermione rounded the corner, she saw Minerva walking from the opposite direction, alongside Madam Pomfrey.

Minerva smiled at Hermione, and they quickly followed Poppy into the room.

"How are you doing?" Poppy asked Hermione warmly, "Minerva has updated me on the situation and we felt that you would appreciate learning a few healing spells so you don't end up in my Hospital Wing as often."

"Here I was thinking you enjoyed the company." Hermione smiled, "I'm fine thanks, a little tired. And that would be really useful, Poppy."

The mediwitch lead the way to several plush armchairs, and was pleased to see an assortment of tea and cakes waiting for them. The room very much resembled Madam Puddifoot's kitschy tea rooms. Minerva raised her eyebrows at Poppy, regretting letting her enter the room first, and gracefully sat in the chair between the two other women.

"I also think you'd appreciate the rest day. Minerva never used to stop when she was training full time and doesn't seem to realise that other people's bodies need a break every now and then." Poppy's grin got wider as she reached for a large cream cake.

Minerva scowled at her friend, "We just don't have that much time, Poppy, and I'd much prefer it if Hermione was actually able to defend herself."

Poppy ignored the Headmistress and poured herself a large cup of tea, adding heaps of sugar into the cup. She smirked at Hermione.

"So, Hermione, Bellatrix Lestrange? I always hoped you'd go for one of the Weasley's."

Hermione felt her cheeks redden and glanced at Minerva, who had raised her eyes to the ceiling in despair.

"Really, Poppy! We aren't here to gossip!" The Headmistress admonished.

Poppy laughed, brushing icing sugar away from her finger tips, "Have a cake Minerva for Merlin's sake and lighten up. You too Hermione, both of you are looking far too skinny, and the house elves have made the effort so we may as well."

Hermione gave Minerva a small smile and reached for a brownie. The two women were nearly polar opposites, how they managed to be friends, Hermione had no idea.

"I was never going to end up with a Weasley. And let's be honest, my love life isn't really a priority right now." Hermione said.

"Well, I'm sure Miss Lestrange keeps you busy." Poppy said sarcastically, before grinning at the younger professor and taking a sip of her tea.

Hermione's blush deepened and Minerva sighed.

"You really need to work on controlling that you know, it wouldn't do to have a Death Eater find something out because you can't keep a straight face." The Headmistress said, looking seriously at Hermione.

"I think I'm actually quite good at it when I'm around them." Hermione replied in a small voice, her pride hurt. There was a lot she had to learn, but up until now, she'd been feeling reasonably confident in the way she handled herself around the Death Eaters.

"There's always room for improvement." Minerva smiled at her.

Poppy glanced at the two women, then settled her gaze on Hermione. "Well, back to business, have you studied healing at all?"

"I know the basics, I think, and I have a few supplies in my rooms for emergencies."

Poppy reached into her robes and pulled out a deep blue miniature case, before enlarging it and handing it over to Hermione. The younger woman opened the gold clasps in awe.

"I think this will be slightly more helpful dear, and I'd carry essence of dittany everywhere with you, as well as a bezoar, they're both good all-rounders. All of the vials are unbreakable, so you don't have to worry about any of them smashing in your pocket."

Hermione's gaze scanned through the case, checking the labels of the numerous vials that were neatly lined in little compartments according to their use. It was beautifully laid out, the blue leather of the case buttery to the touch.

"Thank you so much, Poppy, but do I really need three extra large bottles of hangover potion?"

Poppy smirked, "You have less than Minerva ever had, at one point we had to restock hers nearly every week she went through that much whiskey. Didn't you Minerva?"

Minerva shifted uncomfortably in her armchair. "There's nothing wrong with having a drink after a tough night, and if I remember correctly, you shared the vast majority of them."

Poppy laughed, and her eyes softened slightly, "I hold my hands up, you're right. And it was a difficult time, dear." The healer put her hand over Minerva's and gave it a light squeeze.

Poppy finished the last of her cake and turned to Hermione, summoning a surprisingly life-like human dummy that had been helpfully provided by the room. She ran her through some basic healing techniques, checking that Hermione's knowledge of first aid was up to date. Then, they worked with the dummy, using more advanced methods for common injuries from duels.

Minerva sat back and watched the two women work together, pleased they were getting along so well. Merlin only knew how often Poppy had practically bought her back from the dead after difficult missions with Albus.

Hermione finished stitching up an open wound on the dummies leg that was similar to the one she had received from Amycus the other week, biting her lip in concentration.

"Then the blood replenishing potion, and use a dot of dittany to help the skin heal faster. That's it, perfect." Poppy nodded at Hermione and turned to Minerva, "well, you told me she was a fast learner! Do you think she needs to know anything else?"

Minerva smiled, "I think that should do for now, but you need to be careful with the cruciatus curse, Hermione, you don't want permanent stress fractures in your vertebrae."

"I'll manage. If anything really bad happens I'll be straight in the Hospital Wing. And if I am under the curse for a long time, I'll come straight there as well."

"You'd better, young lady." Poppy looked serious.

"I'm meeting with Bellatrix again tomorrow." Hermione looked down.

There were a few moments of silence before Minerva spoke.

"After you've met her, would you like to come to my office and talk about it? I think we can all agree that we need reports, especially if its important, but I find it helps to get back to reality when you've been around… such people for a long time. If it's too much though, we can wait until practice on Tuesday. It might be good for you to work out some frustrations."

Hermione looked up at her mentor, whose green eyes were laced with understanding.

"I think I'll wait until Tuesday, if that's ok. Unless its important of course. I know that I'll be extremely tired afterwards and will just want my bed, and I probably won't get back until the early hours anyway. It's not fair on you to wait up for me."

"My door is always open, Hermione, I hope you know that."

"I'm here as well, Hermione." Poppy said.

Hermione nodded. She picked up the blue medical case and shrunk it to fit in her pocket.

Poppy stood up. "Well, I'd best be off, a second year Hufflepuff was halfway through regrowing their toes when I left, and should be nearly done. Nasty incident involving a Slytherin and a charmed spoon, Minerva he should be waiting outside your office in about five minutes."

"I might have to remember that for Amycus Carrow next time." Hermione grinned. "Poor student though, obviously." She schooled her face at Minerva's raised eyebrows.

"Thanks for the short notice Poppy. Good night, Hermione." Minerva left with a nod, slipping into one of the teacher's passageways back to her office, closely followed by Poppy.

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HGMM

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 **The next day**

Hermione made her way swiftly through Hogsmeade, past the shrieking shack and towards the rows of long-forgotten terraced houses on the outskirts of the town. Her hood was drawn up, covering her face and keeping out the biting cold. She placed her hand on the door of a derelict house and felt the wards give as she entered, the door creaking on its hinges.

She made her way up the stairs, careful not to touch the dusty bannister. Moonlight flickering through a small, grubby window was the only source of light and a mouse pattered along the landing as she reached the top of the stairs. She heard the familiar sound of Bellatrix's voice, alongside the soft whimper of a person in pain.

Hermione opened the cracked bedroom door and steeled herself against the sight she was met with. Bellatrix was crouched over the limp body of a man in the corner of the bedroom, wand pointed directly between his wide, terrified eyes.

"Ah, we have company now, you little rat, Hermione come here." Bellatrix hissed, glancing over at her lover and licking her lips. The witch's hair was a tangled mess piled high on top of her head, and Hermione noticed that she was covered in little spots of blood.

"You have one last chance, tell me how to find him." Her black eyes were narrow as the body twitched.

"I don't know…" A hoarse voice croaked out, "Please, I don't know…"

Bellatrix answered in a sing-song voice, "I don't believe you."

She cast a wordless cruciatus curse and the man writhed in pain, limbs contorting into shapes that Hermione didn't believe the human body was capable of creating. With a sickening pop, she realised that the man had just dislocated his own shoulder.

"Bella, who is he?" Hermione asked softly, crouching next to Bellatrix and trying not to gag at the metallic scent of blood.

"This man," She hissed, "knows where I can find him, but he won't _fucking_ tell me!"

The man whimpered again, "Please, I don't know, please!"

His eyes reached Hermione's, and her very soul clenched at the hope she saw within them. Through his pain, he'd recognised the face of the brains of the Golden Trio.

"Help me…" He gasped, blue eyes imploring Hermione to make it stop. He had long, sandy blond hair and looked to be in his late thirties. Bellatrix let out a sharp cackle.

"Hermione, would you do the honours?" She looked at her lover, eyes sparkling with bloodlust.

Hermione tensed, she knew that the time had come for her to sacrifice a huge part of herself for the greater good.

"What has he done, Bella?" She whispered, looking straight into narrowed black eyes.

The witch shrugged her shoulders, "Does it matter, mudblood?" The last word was hissed out, meant to hurt.

Hermione forced her mouth into a smirk, and copied Bellatrix's shrug. "Not really. _Avada Kedavra_."

A flash of green light and the man's blue eyes stared vacantly into her own.

Bellatrix grinned at her, wiping a bloody hand on a bed sheet. She laughed out loud and pulled Hermione towards her, setting her between her legs while she perched on the end of the bed.

"Who are you looking for, Bella?" Hermione asked, letting her hand come up to caress the woman's cheek.

"The question is, my little mudblood, can I trust you?" Black eyes, mad with the thrill of murder, met Hermione's brown ones as Hermione leaned forward and kissed her.

"Let me show you," Hermione smirked as she knelt in front of the woman, keeping eye contact as she ran her hands across Bellatrix's thighs, forcing her legs open. She tried desperately not to think of the dead body, only a few feet away from her.

Bellatrix hissed as Hermione's nails scratched down her leg, and then made their way to her core. Hermione forced her legs wider and pushed up the skirt, dipping her head to taste the other woman. The smell of blood was quickly replaced by the smell of woman, and again Hermione wondered how someone so evil could smell so sweet.

Her tongue flicked out to circle the woman's clit and she swiftly thrust two fingers inside of her. Bellatrix moaned out, wrapping her legs around Hermione's shoulders, pulling her closer as she scraped bloody fingers through curly brown hair.

Hermione's tongue and fingers worked faster as the other woman grew louder, trying not to flinch as her hair was pulled. Hips thrust upwards as Hermione added another finger, twisting them as she worked. Concentrating all her attention onto the woman in front of her, Hermione nearly forgot that she had just murdered someone she had never met before in cold blood.

Bellatrix came hard, screaming out and pushing Hermione's head even closer to her centre, before falling back down on the dirty bed. Hermione licked her fingers clean, looking straight at the dark witch.

"You are useful after all," Bellatrix breathed out. "He was a ministry rat, he was supposed to be getting me information to find an alchemist."

"Why an alchemist?" Hermione asked softly, fingers trailing over Bellatrix's waist as she knelt on the bed and straddled the woman. She leant down, flicking her hair so it hung around them like a curtain on one side, blocking the image of the man in the corner.

"I want to know if I can create another philosopher's stone." Bellatrix said simply. Her eyes flashed. "Or something more powerful."

"But there was only one ever made, and no one knows how to create another one since Flamel died. What could be more powerful than a philosopher's stone, my love?" Hermione purred, kissing her way up Bellatrix's neck.

"I'm not sure yet, that's why I need to speak to this man, but it seems that he's in hiding."

Bellatrix shrugged Hermione off her and stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

"I wonder… Dumbledore is dead… but…" She gave Hermione a calculating look. "McGonagall was friends with Flamel, was she not?"

Hermione perched on the edge of the bed, running her hands through her hair. "I'm not sure."

"You could find out though couldn't you? She's a powerful witch, perhaps she even knows the secret recipe." Bellatrix's eyes glinted, and she bent over Hermione, giving her a light kiss on the mouth. "Then you really would be useful, my little mudwhore."

Hermione hummed, letting her lips part for the older woman. Biting Bellatrix's lip, she broke the kiss.

"I'll get you anything you want, Bella." She let her eyes smoulder over the woman.

"I want freedom. Freedom and power." Bellatrix whispered, eyes flashing dangerously.

With one last look, Bellatrix left the house, leaving Hermione in the room with the dead body. She picked her way over to him, assessing the features and storing them away in her memory for later.

Hermione considered Minerva's offer of giving a report straight away, knowing that it would probably be best whilst her memory was fresh. She looked down at herself and knew she would never present herself like this; she had blood in her hair and smelt of sex. She felt bile rise up into her mouth and swallowed it back down, the acid burning the back of her throat.

When she arrived back at her rooms in Hogwarts, she undressed and went straight into her shower, hands shaking as she let her emotion wash over her. She had killed someone, an innocent man who had probably just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and become embroiled into Bellatrix's plan. She turned the water up as hot as possible, and her stomach turned as she cleaned the dried blood matted into her hair. Her skin burned from the heat as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the shower floor, squeezing her eyes tightly shut while it was washed away. She stood in the shower for half an hour, tears mixing in with the boiling stream of water as she thought of fucking Bellatrix next to the lifeless man in the room.

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HGMM

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 _a/n: Eek that was a bit dark. I had some difficulty writing this chapter but hope you all enjoyed, leave a comment!_


	6. Chapter 6

_a/n: Thank you for the kind reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

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HGMM

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Minerva frowned as she glanced over towards Hermione at breakfast. Despite the glamour, the younger witch looked decidedly worn out. The woman had barely eaten or spoken to any of the other professors, and with a half-hearted good-bye she got up from the table, leaving behind the majority of her full English.

Minerva took one last bite of her toast and followed, concerned about what had transpired last night to make the younger witch so miserable. As she rounded the corner, her eyes widened in shock.

"Five points from Hufflepuff each, Mr. Nox, Miss Brown," Hermione said sharply, as she stormed past. The first-year couple abruptly dropped each others hands and scurried away.

Minerva strode after the young professor, students scattering as they saw first Hermione's stormy expression, followed by the Headmistress's.

"Professor Granger!" Minerva called, causing the witch to stop and turn round, waiting for her to catch up.

"Yes, Headmistress?" Hermione sighed, eyes slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep.

Minerva reached out a hand and gently placed it on Hermione's forearm.

"Picking on first-years, Hermione, really?" Minerva gave the witch a small smile. "Are you alright?"

Hermione's shoulders slumped and she hesitantly looked up into understanding green eyes.

"Yes, I'll be fine. It was just a long night. Tonight at 8?"

Minerva nodded. "Just don't take it out on the students, Professor." She dropped her voice to a whisper, smiling slightly, "That's what the kick bags are for."

She patted Hermione's arm and let her get on her way to lessons.

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HGMM

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Hermione entered the room of requirement, quickly transfiguring her robes into more comfortable sportswear. Her day had been horrendous; one of the Ravenclaws had managed to end up in the Hospital Wing and she'd had to deduct 30 house points from a third year Gryffindor after they sent a magical Frisbee hurtling through her office window. Not to mention the huge pile of essays waiting to be marked back in her rooms.

"Talk now or after?" Minerva asked her, standing up from her chair and walking over to the other woman.

"I'll tell you everything after. Maybe I'll feel better after kicking the shit out of that bloody bag." Hermione brushed her hair out of her face, pulling it back into a loose pony tail, and starting bouncing on her toes, ready to attack to bag. She sent a few powerful kicks towards it, following through with some jabs and feints.

Minerva's eyebrows rose at Hermione's choice of words, but decided not to comment, watching the woman work out her frustrations. She was definitely growing stronger; her attacks had a lot more power behind them and her flexibility had quickly increased. Before long, she'd be able to last much longer in a duel.

Minerva considered whether or not to continue with something more advanced. She appreciated that Hermione was a fast learner, but wanted to ensure that her technique was up to scratch.

"Here, I'll teach you a routine, and in a few days we can start weapons training." Minerva said, gesturing for Hermione to move towards the mats in the centre of the room.

Hermione watched as Minerva's lithe body twisted into powerful attacks, her face flashing with calm determination. Hermione copied the movements, shadow boxing against an invisible opponent. Minerva's body moved at an impossible speed as Hermione struggled to keep up. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her forehead was damp with sweat as they finished the routine with a flying roundhouse kick followed by a sharp punch.

"Now, let's duel." Minerva said, calmly flicking her wand into her fingers. As soon as Hermione hit the ground she sent a bright red stunner towards the woman.

Without thinking, Hermione dropped and rolled, avoiding the spell as she grabbed her wand from her pocket. She quickly sent back a hex which Minerva easily parried.

"Use your imagination," Minerva called out, and suddenly Hermione was surrounded by multiple Headmistresses, all twirling their wands preparing to attack. They collectively moved forwards, sending endless streams of curses towards her while she backed up quickly, countering the spells. Hermione tried to figure out which woman was the real Headmistress, unable to keep up with her defences as they got nearer.

Suddenly, Hermione jumped forward to the left, sending a huge shock wave towards the group of Headmistresses, who were quickly closing in. Several of the clones vanished into thin wisps of smoke, and there were only three left. Hermione took a chance and went for the one on the right, surprising the real Minerva and catching her arm with a stinging jinx. Minerva hissed, annoyed that she had been caught off guard. Without thinking, she reacted lightning fast, easily disarming Hermione who had stopped in shock at the realisation that one of her spells had actually hit the other woman. The force of the spell took her off her feet and once again, she landed heavily on her backside. The remaining copies vanished.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, breathing heavily and picking herself up from the floor.

"Of course I am," Minerva snapped, quickly healing the wound with a wordless spell.

Hermione smiled cheekily, putting her wand back in her pocket. "Annoyed that I actually hit you this time?"

Minerva looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly. "No. Just wasn't expecting you to be able to tell which one was me."

"Constant vigilance." Hermione smirked, before yelping as Minerva sent a small stinging jinx at her, which she was unable to dodge and caught the palm of her hand.

"Indeed. You need to practice drawing your wand quicker." Minerva remarked, smiling as she picked up Hermione's stung hand. Her fingers were soft and nimble as she quietly healed the wound, letting her magic tingle across the reddened palm.

"Ready to talk about it now?" Minerva asked, dropping Hermione's hand.

Hermione sighed, looking at her feet. Her voice was quiet as she said, "I suppose its easier if I just show you. Minerva, I'm sorry."

Hermione looked straight into calm green eyes and let her mind merge with the older woman's, pushing forward the memories of the night before.

She showed her the derelict house in Hogsmeade, walking into the bedroom and seeing Bellatrix crouched over the tortured man with sandy blond hair. Showed herself shrugging and casting the killing spell, after the man had looked up at her with a flicker of hope that she had come to rescue him. She ended the man's life, trying to convince herself that a quick death would be far kinder than letting Bellatrix slowly torture him more.

Trying to show Minerva the minimum amount of intimacy between her and the dark witch, Hermione skipped to Bellatrix lying on the bed, telling her that the dead man had been working at the Ministry and she was searching for an alchemist. That she wanted a philosopher's stone and perhaps she could ask Minerva, who was rumoured to have been friends with Flamel. Kissing Hermione as she called her a whore before leaving, saying she wanted freedom and power.

Hermione withdrew from Minerva's mind, feeling her stomach turn as she remembered the night before. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at the older witch's stony expression.

"Minerva… I killed him. I killed an innocent man." Her voice cracked as tears spilled over her cheeks.

"He was far from innocent, Hermione. He's obviously been feeding Bellatrix information, and I'm sure he was one of the younger Death Eaters at the Battle of Hogwarts. I recognise him, I think he worked in Neville Longbottom's department at the ministry, but was just an administrator."

"But… I killed him."

Minerva's eyes softened. "Hermione, you did what needed to be done. And now we know what Bellatrix is looking for, it's easier to form a plan to stop her."

"You know who she's looking for?" Hermione said, watery eyes widening in surprise. She tried to pull herself together, hating the way she had fallen apart. She was meant to be able to keep her emotions hidden, not cry every time she thought of the things she had done.

Minerva's lips thinned.

"I do, but fortunately Bellatrix will not be finding him. The alchemist she's searching for died fifteen years ago. I'm surprised she doesn't know that already, but she must have still been in Azkaban when it happened. What we need to be concerned about is Mr. Longbottom's herbology research."

Hermione waited for an explanation, trying not to let her curiosity reach her face, and failing miserably. She dabbed at her tears with the back of her sleeve. Minerva conjured a large, clean handkerchief and handed it to her former student.

"I suggest that with you and him being friends, you find out what he's working on. However confidential." Minerva said. "Flamel's wife was an outstanding botanist, and as you know, she and her husband created the elixir of life together."

"What about you? She wants me to… interrogate you." Hermione sniffed.

"Well then, Hermione, you'll just have to interrogate me." Minerva smiled. Her eyes flashed with something of an unspoken challenge.

"I'm sorry for crying. Again." Hermione said, miserably.

Minerva sighed. "Time is a great healer, Hermione."

Minerva reached forward and pulled her former student into a warm hug. Hermione held the other woman, letting her arms circle the slender waist and breathing in the calming scent of her robes. She smelt of peppermint tea and fresh parchment. The last of Hermione's tears fell and when she broke the embrace, looking up at her mentor, her brown eyes were clear.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

"We'll have to create a false memory for Bellatrix. As you know, fabricating memories that seem authentic is nearly impossible. We'll set up a meeting, reviewing your lesson plans, and you can try your best to question me." Minerva smirked slightly. "I'll figure something out."

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HGMM

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 **Saturday morning**

Hermione went over to Harry and gave him a short peck on the cheek. The majority of Order members had arrived and congregated in the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place. Molly was fussing and giving Kreacher trays of sandwiches to place on the long table, and sunlight streamed into the clean room. Since Harry had moved in, the house was much improved, probably due mainly to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's influence.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked her, noting that his best friend was looking remarkably worn out. She'd been having difficulty sleeping; recurring nightmares of the meeting with Bellatrix playing through her mind, over and over again. The past few nights had been spent duelling Minerva, and smoothing out the details of their plan.

"I'm ok Harry, the students are keeping me busy." She grinned up at him, "Some of them could give Fred and George a run for their money."

They went over to Ron, who was stuffing himself full of coronation chicken sandwiches.

"So, how's the ministry treating you both?" Hermione asked them, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, if it wasn't for Arthur, we'd be in an even worse state. The other day we found a body in one of those houses up near the Shrieking Shack, you know the really grotty ones? The poor guy was one of Neville's mates from the herbology department, Chris Jenkins. It wasn't a pretty scene." Harry told her, looking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"The Prophet's been pretty quiet about that. Death Eaters?" Hermione asked, feigning ignorance. Harry nodded.

"Hermione, it looked like… well, it looked like Lestrange's work."

"We think she's back." Ron said quietly. The formidable witch had been responsible for the multiple deaths of their close friends and family, and Hermione felt her stomach twist with guilt. She pulled the redhead into a warm hug, trying to convey her friendship.

"She's been defeated before, Ron, we'll defeat her again." Hermione said, with a grim smile.

"Yeah, we've got a few locations on some of the known Death Eaters, but no warrants as of yet. They're taking bloody ages to come through, Merlin knows what's holding them up." Ron said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Can Arthur not push them through faster?" Hermione asked.

At that moment, Arthur Weasley walked through the door closely followed by Minerva. The Minister for Magic walked over to Molly, kissing her on the cheek before turning to face the group of friends and family.

"Shall we get started then?" He said, and everyone took their seats.

Harry and Ron shared the news of the Hogsmeade killing, and announced that they thought it had been Bellatrix Lestrange's work. There was a moment of silence, as the Order processed this information. Hermione glanced at Molly, who had hot tears trailing over her cheek. Arthur had an arm around his wife's shoulders, a grim expression on his face.

"I'm afraid that my research has lead to the same conclusion. Bellatrix Lestrange is back." Minerva looked around the table at her friends and former students.

"But why would she go for Chris? He was just an administrator." Neville asked in a small voice. The loss of one of his team had obviously hit him hard. His wide, frightened eyes looked to his former professor for reassurance, as he registered the idea that the woman who had tortured his parents to insanity was still alive. Ginny patted him on the back in sympathy.

"I have reason to believe that he was, in fact, feeding her ministry information." Minerva replied, her lips in a thin line, "I'm sorry, Mr. Longbottom."

Neville's face fell, if possible, even further. "How could I not realise?" He whispered.

"It's not your fault Neville, none of us would have realised. We didn't even know she was alive." Ron said, looking around the table in dismay.

"From the increase in muggle killings, I think we can all agree that the Death Eaters are rallying. Our auror department are working harder than ever, but as of yet we have no leads." Arthur's voice rang across the room, and the aurors of the table nodded. "I think the only plan of action we can take at the moment is to be prepared for the worst. Everyone should be keeping on top of their duelling practice, and adding extra security to their homes. We will all be targets."

The conclusion of the meeting left all the Order members with slumped shoulders. People began leaving, offering words of comfort to Neville and Molly. Minerva nodded at Hermione, before heading back to Hogwarts.

Hermione made her way over to Neville, and smiled. "If you ever need to chat, Neville, you know I'm here for you, right?"

"Thanks, Hermione, I'll keep that in mind." He looked down at his shoes, appreciating the gesture but hating the way everyone seemed to be pitying him.

"In fact, we've been meaning to catch up for a while now. Do you fancy coming with me to the Three Broomsticks next weekend on Saturday? I'm taking the Gryffindors to Hogsmeade, and I think it'll be good for both of us." She gave him another friendly smile, hoping that he'd agree.

Neville looked up, into warm brown eyes. He noticed the way Hermione's hair framed her face in pretty waves, it was no longer the bushy mess of her youth. His eyes flicked down to full, rosy lips and he blinked. It had been a while since he'd dated anyone, and he felt himself grow taller with a confidence he hardly realised he possessed. Hermione watched in barely suppressed horror as she watched her friend give her an appraising once over, the misery from before being replaced by something even worse, hope of possible romance.

"Sure, Hermione. It's a date." He grinned at her, and with a wink, he left.

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HGMM

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 _a/n: Let me know what you think, any ideas would be welcome!_


	7. Chapter 7

_a/n: Hey guys, sorry for the slight delay, this one surprisingly took me quite a while. Has anyone else been having problems with the Doc Manager? It has been refusing to let me upload new chapters and is very frustrating! Anyway here's another one up for you (finally) :)_

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HGMM

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Hermione tried to calm herself as she stepped up to the large oak doors of Malfoy Manor, taking deep breaths and checking her occlumency shields. It was the first time she'd be properly introduced to the inner circle of Bellatrix's followers, and she kept up her hood as the doors creaked open and she stepped inside.

The entrance hall was as grand as she remembered, lit by candelabras on the wall and decorated with huge gold-framed portraits of blond aristocrats. Her footsteps rang out on the white marble as she made her way towards the sound of voices. Everything in her being told her to run as she heard Bellatrix's cackle echo through the mansion.

She rapped her knuckles on the door, behind which the noise of the Death Eaters stopped. Slowly, the door was opened, and Hermione didn't bother hiding her disgust as Peter Pettigrew's face appeared, a lecherous smile widening as he bent at the waist, bowing, his silver hand gesturing for her to enter.

She kept her head held high, cloak still covering her features as she fixed her gaze on Bellatrix Lestrange. The witch was sat at the head of a long table, reclining in her chair with her heavy boots up on the surface. She twisted a long strand of black hair around her finger, grinning as Hermione made her way over to her. She ran her gaze over Hermione's body and flicked out a tongue to lick full, sensual lips that were stained a deep, blood red.

"Hello, my little mudblood." She whispered, black eyes glittering.

Hermione bent over the witch a pulled her into a passionate kiss, feeling that the only way she was going to survive the night was if Bellatrix's followers understood that she irrevocably belonged to the dark witch. Bellatrix pulled her into her lap, reaching up and pulling down Hermione's hood with a caress, uncovering her face.

"Everyone, meet Hermione. Hermione, everyone." Bellatrix grinned at the table. Her voice turned sharp, "Rat, get our guest of honour a drink."

Pettigrew scurried over to an elaborate gold bar cart, and poured Hermione a healthy serving of firewhiskey. He placed the tumbler in front of her, eyes flicking over her body. He hesitantly looked up at Bellatrix who bared her teeth and let out a feral snarl, causing him to run into the corner of the room. She cackled again, raising her own glass.

"To new acquaintances," She toasted, clinking her glass with Hermione's and downing her drink.

Hermione glanced at Lucius Malfoy, who was sat on Bellatrix's right hand side. They held each other's gaze as they both downed their drinks. Hermione smirked at him as she realised she was probably drinking Malfoy's finest liquor.

"I believe some of you have met Hermione before…" Bellatrix's eyes scanned the table, landing on the Carrow siblings. "Isn't that right Amycus?"

The man flinched at the sound of his name, covering his stump with his other hand, causing Bellatrix to let out another sharp laugh. "Another drink for the table, rat! Now, my pretty little mudblood, what news do you have for us?"

Bellatrix looked up into Hermione's brown eyes, hand ghosting over the younger woman's thigh.

"I did as you asked, Bella." Hermione said softly, before settling her gaze to Bellatrix's right. "Lucius, I trust you have a penseive?"

The blond man's eyes narrowed as he watched her.

"Well, Lucius?" Bellatrix snapped at him, and the aristocrat snapped his fingers leading to the appearance of a bedraggled house elf, who cowered before him.

Lucius grabbed the elf by its grimy towel, hissing into its ear then throwing it back to the floor, where it quickly disappeared with a pop. A moment later, a large penseive was placed before Hermione.

She reached her wand to her temple and drew out the silvery memory, watching it swirl into the bowl. She smirked at Bellatrix.

"Would you like to see first, or shall I project the memory for the table to see?" She asked, brushing Bellatrix's hair intimately behind her ear. The older woman's eyes darkened slightly.

"Why don't we all enjoy the show?" She said, her clear voice carrying across the room.

Hermione swirled her wand into the penseive, drawing the silvery wisps out and enlarging the memory into realistic three-dimensional images for all to see. It appeared to be like a glowing hologram in the middle of the table, and Hermione glanced at the Death Eaters, seeing the grudgingly impressed reactions to her magic.

In the image, Hermione was sat in front of Minerva in the Headmistress's office. Minerva had summoned a tea tray, pouring both witches a cup. She smiled at her colleague as she asked her how her second year as a Hogwarts professor was going.

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the familiarity between the two witches, jealously twisting her stomach. Hermione's hand stroked through her hair as she watched Minerva get up from her seat and turn to look out of the window. Quick as a flash, the Hermione in the memory had emptied the contents of a vial into Minerva's teacup, and as Minerva turned back around to face her, she reached for her own cup and bought it to her lips.

Meaningless conversation was exchanged as Hermione waited for the Headmistress to drink the tea laced with veritaserum.

"Minerva, can I ask you something please?" Hermione asked innocently.

Minerva smiled, "Of course, my dear, ask away." Her tea was nearly finished.

"I know that Professor Dumbledore was friends with Nicolas Flamel, and was wondering whether you were as well."

Minerva's eyes seemed to narrow slightly, but she could not help the words that bubbled out of her mouth. "I was, yes."

"And I know that you helped place the protection around the philosopher's stone at Hogwarts, but did you help destroy it?"

"No, Nicolas destroyed it."

"Do you know how?"

"No."

"Do you know how they made the stone?"

Minerva's lips seemed to tremble as the words fell out of her mouth. "Not with the initial creation, no. I helped them further their research later on in their lives. Hermione, why are you asking me this?"

"What further research?"

"Perenelle was a botanist, I helped her source ingredients for the elixir."

"Which were...?"

"Infusion of wormwood, bloodroot, phoenix tears… she didn't give me the full ingredients list, it was kept between her and her husband." Minerva's eyes seemed to glisten with tears as she stammered, "You put veritaserum in my tea."

Before the image of Minerva could reach for her wand, she found her hands stuck to the table. Green eyes looked up at Hermione in fear.

Hermione heard Bellatrix cackle as she watched scene, and saw a few of the Death Eaters smirking.

The Hermione of the memory ignored the Headmistress, eyes hard.

"Is there anyone else who would know the recipe?"

"There was one… but he died years ago. The philosopher's stone was destroyed, the elixir cannot be recreated without one."

"Is there anything similar?"

"Horcruxes can be created to extend one's life after death and there are myths surrounding crystal extracts and herbs, but none have been proven to work. Unicorn blood can be used to rejuvenate but never prolong life and, of course, Vampires are also known for their immortality. There was a dark spell…"

Minerva's voice faltered as she seemed to fight the veritaserum.

"Go on, what spell?" The image of Hermione leaned closer.

"I don't know the book, or the name, only that it involved a potion similar to the elixir of life involving unicorn blood, phoenix tears, deathcaps... It is only a rumour."

"I understand." Hermione nodded and got up from her chair, going round the desk to stand beside the Headmistress.

"Hermione, what…"

Hermione's wand reached the Headmistresses temple and she leaned down, whispering "obliviate" as the older witch's eyes grew slightly wider.

Hermione stood up straight. "Minerva, are you alright, would you like a glass of water?"

Minerva turned to her young professor, looking slightly confused. "I'm quite alright, Hermione, just feeling slightly dizzy. Now, if you'd hand your lesson plans in for next term tomorrow, I'd be grateful."

The silvery image of Minerva's office and the two women dissolved, and the real Hermione turned to Bellatrix who was smiling.

"Well done my little mudblood," Bellatrix's eyes raked over the younger witches face, landing on full, rosy lips. She let her eyes linger there, before turning to face her followers.

"I need information, Lucius your library will come of use. We have all heard of Vida Eterni but as no one in the western world seems to have a clue about it, we will have to turn our gaze a little farther afield. Notte, I'm sure you have connections in the East, and as for you Greyback, I expect you to use our friends in South America. Once we have the relevant sources, we will begin collecting the ingredients and I assure you, that all of you, yes, even you rat, will be rewarded for your loyalty."

The Death Eaters seemed to shiver with anticipation, the incentive to help Bellatrix growing stronger.

"At the same time, I wish for us to continue infiltrating the ministry. After all, why live forever when we don't like the world we live in?" Bellatrix cackled, earning a few smirks from the table. "We will be hidden no longer, and take our rightful place above Muggles in this world. I'm sure our friends overseas will agree that we have been hiding for far, far too long…"

Her eyes were black as they looked up into Hermione's.

"We will gather an army, and fight for our freedom." The last sentence although whispered, carried across the room, and even Hermione felt the excitement in her spine at Bellatrix's words. Imagine living without the statute of secrecy, what would that mean for the wizarding world and society as a whole?

"You may leave." Bellatrix called out, eyes still on Hermione, and she saw that even Lucius exited the room along with the other Death Eaters.

Suddenly, both women landed on a large four poster bed, and Hermione felt Bellatrix's chest press against hers as she leant in for a kiss.

"I wonder, what herb and crystals could the old hag speaking of? I'm sure they'll be necessary for the elixir…" Black eyes met brown ones, and Hermione shuddered as she felt Bellatrix's mind enter hers.

Hermione showed her parts of the recent order meeting, the reaction to the news that Bellatrix had lived, the loss of a colleague for Neville, Neville asking her on a date…

Hermione jerked back into reality with a snap, and felt fear grip her heart at the narrowed, pitch black eyes that glared up at her.

"And you… agreed?" Bellatrix hissed.

Hermione could sense the insanity creeping over the other witch's form, sending cold shivers down her spine at what this would mean for her tonight.

"You are mine," The witch snarled as she grasped both of Hermione's hands and pulled them over her head, standing as she did, so that the younger witch was nearly on her tip toes. Hermione felt chains encircling her wrists, and her eyes darkened in fear, which Bellatrix mistook for lust.

"Bella…" Hermione whispered, knowing it was pointless.

" _MINE_." The woman growled out again, as she bit Hermione's shoulder, causing the imprisoned witch to gasp out in pain.

Hermione felt her clothes disappear from her body, and felt the chains tighten as they were levitated so she was stretched out in front of Bellatrix. The woman twirled her wand in her fingers, and Hermione mentally groaned as she realised there was no possibility of escape. Whatever Bellatrix had in mind, she would have to submit to.

Her eyes widened as Bellatrix transfigured a candlestick into a whip, stalking round behind Hermione like a predator circling its prey.

The first crack of the whip ripped a scream from Hermione's lungs that could be heard throughout the mansion.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

Hermione gingerly picked herself up from the bed. Bellatrix had long since left, and she needed to get back to Hogwarts. The witch looked desperately around the room for her clothes, scowling when she realised that Bellatrix had truly banished them. Without hesitation, she transfigured one of the bed sheets into a large black cloak, hissing as it touched her back. Every movement she made opened the slashes across her body slightly more, and the fabric of the cloak certainly wasn't helping. The whip must have been cursed, she thought bitterly.

She stepped out of the room and tried to find her way out of the mansion, swiftly stepping down a huge marble staircase, knowing that if she didn't get back soon she was sure to pass out again from the pain.

To her dismay, as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucius exited a room to her left, smirking when he saw her.

"Well, well, if it isn't Bella's new pet." He drawled, taking out his wand.

"Lucius. If you would be so kind as to show me the way out?" Hermione said shortly, gritting her teeth as her cloak rubbed against her back again. The last thing she needed was a duel.

"Certainly," He smirked, leading her through a corridor to the entrance hall. "You know, mudblood, I never thought you were the type to betray your friends."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him, pushing the large front door open. "And I didn't think you were the type to leave your family destitute, but here we both are."

Malfoy's face tightened into a scowl. It was true that Narcissa and Draco had left, and were now living in a small flat, both of them finding it difficult to get a job due to their connections to the Dark Lord. Malfoy decided not to comment, shame building in the pit of his stomach.

"Until next time, Granger."

Hermione stepped through the door, and as soon as she reached the large gates, apparated back to Hogwarts. She made her way swiftly back to her rooms, stifling a gasp of pain as she stepped through her portrait.

"Accio medical chest," She hissed out, mentally thanking Poppy for her organisational skills. She downed the pain potion in one, and peeled her cloak off her back, gasping as the fabric stuck to her wounds.

The pain potion was making her slightly woozy, a welcome relief from the constant barrage of thoughts about Bellatrix and her followers. Without thinking, Hermione summoned a bottle of firewhiskey, taking large swigs as she stumbled over to her bed. The burn of the liquor down her throat seemed to counteract the pain on her back, and as her mind fuzzed over, she gulped more down, gingerly laying herself out, naked on the bed, hoping her alarm would be enough to wake her early in the morning so she could get Poppy to treat her before classes.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

Minerva frowned at the clock, Hermione hadn't made it to the early staff meeting and lessons were starting in half an hour. If something had happened… she didn't allow herself to continue the thought.

She swiftly made her way down the corridor to the professor's rooms, knocking before softly stating the password and stepping forwards through the portrait.

The smell of alcohol was obvious as soon as she entered the rooms. Minerva noted the empty vial of pain potion on the floor next the sofa alongside the blue medical chest that was still open. She knocked softly on Hermione's bedroom door, and at the lack of response, carefully opened it.

Minerva's eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. Hermione was led, stomach down on the bed, her hair a tangled mess that covered her face. The sheets had been pulled down, leaving Hermione's bare back uncovered and allowing Minerva to see the damage that had been done. The sharp cuts covered the woman's figure, a deep angry red that stood out against the tanned skin.

She took a deep breath, avoiding the empty bottle of firewhiskey by the bedside and made her way over to the sleeping Professor. Minerva gently touched Hermione's shoulder, avoiding the cuts.

"Hermione, wake up, dear." She said softly, as the younger woman cringed away from the touch, burrowing her head deeper into the pillow and letting out a low groan.

"I overslept." Hermione muttered into the pillow, "Minerva, can you get me another pain potion, please? And possibly a hangover potion?"

The younger woman turned to face her boss, bloodshot brown eyes surrounded by dark circles. She hissed in pain as she tried to sit up, covering the curve of her breasts with her elbows. Her hair fell over her shoulder, tickling the damaged skin on her back and she let out a hiss of pain. The sheet fell slightly lower, showing Minerva that the cuts went further down the woman's body than she had initially thought.

"Of course," Minerva summoned two vials and handed it to the woman. "Hermione, what the hell happened last night?"

Hermione winced as she propped herself up more, gulping down the contents of the vials and shuddering at the acrid taste.

"Bellatrix being a crazy fucking bitch is what happened." She muttered, grabbing her wand from under her pillow and summoning a dressing gown. "What time is it?"

"Twenty to. You missed the staff meeting." Hermione groaned again, and Minerva hastily added, "Nothing important, don't worry."

The older woman eyed Hermione's back as she shrugged on the robe, noticing the sickening way that the white dressing gown seemed to stick to the wounds. After a moment's hesitation she summoned a tub of salve.

"Hermione lie back down, there's no way you can get through the day like this, I can't take over your lessons today, I have to be in London for a governor's meeting at nine."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "I never planned on skipping any of my duties today, thank you, I can manage just fine. And they're cursed by the way, Poppy will have to deal with me later, there's no time at the moment."

"I realise that, but lie back down. This will help, I promise." Minerva raised an eyebrow at Hermione's reluctance to accept help, before the younger woman gingerly lay back down on the bed, uncovering her back again. "This might sting a little.""

Minerva dipped her fingers into the tub, and softly placed the salve on the top of Hermione's back, fingers moving in soft circles to rub it in. Hermione winced as the woman's hand ran over a deep slash down her spine, trying desperately to calm her breathing and relax. The salve was cold and soothing, and Hermione felt immediate relief in between the stabs of pain as Minerva's long fingers traced the lines along her back.

"So, what did you do to warrant this, she must have believed the memory?" Minerva asked, fingers trailing lower, gentle but firm. She tried to keep herself professional, knowing that this level of personal contact, although necessary, may be slightly awkward for both witches. She shook her head at the damage that had been wrought on the younger woman, noticing the way Hermione's muscles tensed under her touch.

"The memory worked great, Minerva, you'll have to teach me how to block an obliviate." Hermione tried to keep her voice steady, "No, she got jealous when she found out Neville had asked me on a date."

Minerva felt the corners of her lips rise up into a smile at the boy's foolishness. "I'm guessing he doesn't know…"

"No. Although most people have clocked on by now. I was just trying to be nice after I killed his bloody colleague and he took it the wrong way. Ron or Harry could have told him." Hermione sighed, before letting out a sharp hiss of pain.

"I see. And despite knowing that nothing would come of your… date with Mr. Longbottom, Bellatrix decided to punish you."

Hermione groaned again as Minerva's fingers reached her left side, where the whip had left several indents in her skin that were beginning to bruise a dark purple. She muttered a few choice words at what she though of the dark witch into the pillow, causing Minerva's lips to quirk upwards again.

"Exactly how far down do these go, Hermione?" Minerva frowned as she noticed a deep cut along Hermione's calf. Her fingers paused at the small of Hermione's back, knowing that it would be truly unprofessional to continue rubbing the salve in any lower.

"It's ok, Minerva, I can reach the rest of them, I promise I'll put the salve on before I'm dressed. Thank you for helping me." Hermione pushed herself off the bed again, holding her dressing gown closed around her body.

"You have about five minutes to prepare yourself for class. I trust you'll visit Poppy after lessons?" Minerva said, trying to regard her colleague sternly, but failing at the sight of the younger witch clutching her knee-length white robe around her, hair looking like a bird's nest.

"Of course I will," She snapped. Then her expression softened, and brown eyes looked up at the older witch, "Sorry, I'm just tired. Can we not train tonight, please, I don't think I'm up to it." Hermione shoulders fell dejectedly.

"Certainly. However, I'll be back around dinner time if you want to talk." Minerva gave the young professor a small smile and then left her rooms.

Hermione got to work rubbing the rest of the salve in over her lower half, praying that all of them wouldn't scar. With a quick charm to tame her hair she was able to pull it up into a pony tail, and a glamour disguised the bags under her eyes. She tucked another bottle of pain potion into her robes, and set her shoulders, preparing herself for the day.

Professor Granger stalked into the transfiguration classroom at nine o'clock on the dot.

* * *

HGMM

* * *

 _a/n: Hope you enjoyed, any feedback is much appreciated!_


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